Meeting First with the First!

It is Monday, June 11th, and we have finally come back to "Kisii town" after spending three nights at the family home and three days with two amazing churches - but totally without any electrical power throughout! (I have just added a bunch of photos to the last entry, "Karibu Kisii!" that you might enjoy! Photos for this entry will have to wait for another day - sorry!)

Benard's mom, Grace, outside of the Keera building

Wednesday, Friday and Sabbath were spent with the "mother church" of the Kenyan Conference and the first SDB church of Kenya itself, the Keera church family. It is located north of the Mose family home on a mile or so long combination of paved and dirt roads (which we walked each day we were with them).

Wednesday and Friday were teaching days with the core people of the church who were not detained by work or other necessities. It was a blessed time of sharing from the Word of God words of encouragement and words of challenge to their hearts with Pastor Benard translating. I have learned that while in America we don't like to sit for very long, God's people in Kenya can and do sit for a couple of hours worth of teaching! That's in addition to some singing before and after the teaching time.

I shared from 1 Corinthians 3 on Wednesday regarding dynamics of church life such as their foundation, their framework, their focus and their future. On Friday I shared with them dynamics of the "great confession" from Matthew 16 and what it means to them as a church.

There were very special times within the teaching for addressing from the Word of God their questions as well as particular burdens that were weighing on them and it was evident that God was speaking into each and everyone's hearts by His amazing grace! Each day ended with incredibly humble and heart-felt comments of thanks and blessing that just melted my heart and, as Benard often says to me, "filled my eyes with tears".

Lunch - Kenyan style!

The "sessions" were broken up by a mid-day meal cooked in the kitchen house next to the church building. It was an interesting dynamic to eat with the men in the church house while the women, youth and children ate outside. Also, often times the meals I have had, whether in a restaurant, with Benard in his room, at the family home or at the church site, are preceeded by a washing of hands and then eating with your right hand (primarily).

Sabbath Day began with Sabbath School with the teacher utilizing the latest quarter of the Helping Hand (in particular, being in the lesson from John 9). With most not being literate, the teacher had to read parts of the lesson to the people and then there would be discussion. This class time lasted for more than an hour.

Keera church celebrating their Savior & His Sabbath!

Next came a 2-hour+ worship service filled with singing, dancing, prayer, Scripture and my opportunity to preach. I continued the thrust of what I feel God wants to speak into the SDB Kenyan peoples' hearts through words of encouragement and challenge for them as churches, this time focusing on the Great Commandment and Great Commission. A children's choir, a youth choir and an adult choir all presented inspiring songs throughout.

After lunch, while the adults held a special meeting, I got to sing and teach the 4 dozen or so children of the church on the hillside next to the church. Local villagers passing by stopped along the hedgerow above us and watch as I got to share stories from the Bible, lead them in songs and share butterscotch candies. At the end, the children led me to a spot on the hillside where a big hole had been dug to plant a banana tree in honor of my visit with them.

A handful of school children I saw around Keera

The children, by the way, both in the communities that I've walked and ridden through, and in the churches, are very wide-eyed by having a "mzungu" (white-man) in their midst or just going by. The local school children on Wednesday and Friday, upon seeing me outside during their recesses, would shout out "Mzungu!" upon which when I would wave they would fall down giggling, or wave back. They would imitate me in my motions, ask me to take their picture and run and tell others of my presence. It was pretty humbling to have the opportunity to make them smile.

Hillside children's time!

 The day ended with the Keera church family, young and old, sharing with me their hopes and dreams as the "mother church" of the Kenyan Conference, both for themselves, their pastor, their Conference and SDBs world-wide. It was an incredible privilege to have that opportunity with them. (These hopes and dreams I will be sharing with my fellow SDBs in the USA and Canada, as well as the World Federation, when I get home.)

There remains so much more to share, including my outing on Thursday to Kisumu where I went to the Kisumu Game Park (and lost my favorite hat to a "cat" - a leopard to be exact), saw Lake Victoria and the Kisumu Museum, my time spent at the family home each night from Friday through Sunday nights, of my time with the Kiabugesi church on Sunday and of other random experiences interspersed throughout including today.

Banana tree planting (left, between two boys)!

I've realized that much of what I want to share (both in photos and writing) will have to wait until I get back when I have regular use of electricity and a computer. This week holds more times of connecting with more churches and leaders. I praise God that He holds this week and that you are holding me in prayer!